There are four different introductions depending on the race of the player, one for each race.

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'''[[Prologue]]'''

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There are two different prologues depending on the race of the player, one for Hobbits and Men and another for Dwarves and Elves.

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'''Book I - ''[[Stirrings in the Darkness]]'':'''

'''Book I - ''[[Stirrings in the Darkness]]'':'''

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After the introductions, the player is sent to [[Aragorn]], who needs your help to weaken the Blackwolds, a hostile gang within Breeland, loyal to [[Saruman|Sharkey]]. After helping Aragorn and the [[Rangers of the North|Rangers]], they send you to [[Tom Bombadil]] to destroy the evil in Othrongroth, The Great Barrow of the [[Barrow-downs]]. Though the Wightlord Sambrog is defeated, the [[Witch-king]], Ivar and Skorgrim escape. Upon returning to [[Bree]], you discover [[Aragorn]] has left with the [[Hobbit]]s and the player meets [[Gandalf]], who was too late to help. As he leaves for Rivendell too, he instructs you to find one of his fellow [[Istari]].

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After the prolouge, the player is sent to [[Aragorn]], who needs your help to weaken the Blackwolds, a hostile gang within Breeland, loyal to [[Saruman|Sharkey]]. After helping Aragorn and the [[Rangers of the North|Rangers]], they send you to [[Tom Bombadil]] to destroy the evil in Othrongroth, The Great Barrow of the [[Barrow-downs]]. Though the Wightlord Sambrog is defeated, the [[Witch-king]], Ivar and Skorgrim escape. Upon returning to [[Bree]], you discover [[Aragorn]] has left with the [[Hobbit]]s and the player meets [[Gandalf]], who was too late to help. As he leaves for Rivendell too, he instructs you to find one of his fellow [[Istari]].

Contents

Release

Turbine and Midway Games, Inc. officially launched The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar on April 24th, 2007 in North America for PC computers. Codemasters handles the European version of the game.

LotRO allows players to create customized characters (elves, dwarves, hobbits, or men) to explore Middle-earth as a persistant 3D world environment, undertaking trival and epic quests, and battling against a wide variety of creatures and enemies. Players can also craft equipment and consumable items (including the popular varieties of pipe-weed), as well as enjoy recreational activities such as player-generated music.

While the majority of quests in the game are original content created by Turbine based on the history and lore of Middle-earth, the quests flagged as "Epic" quests depict specific events and scenes from the Lord of the Rings storyline. While conducting Epic Quests, players interact with the main characters from the books, and assist in the advancing of the story toward the War of the Ring and the destruction of the One Ring.

Turbine has gone to great lengths to faithfully recreate the fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien with a high degree of attention to detail. Essentially every character named in the books appear in the game and can be interacted with during quests and other activities.

Previously the game was called Middle-earth Online and began development in 2003 as a joint production with Vivendi Universal Games.

Cast

The majority of the dialog in the game is textually based, but there are some characters with spoken dialog. There are also some characters that will speak a line or two of the dialog, but the rest of the dialog will be text.

After the prolouge, the player is sent to Aragorn, who needs your help to weaken the Blackwolds, a hostile gang within Breeland, loyal to Sharkey. After helping Aragorn and the Rangers, they send you to Tom Bombadil to destroy the evil in Othrongroth, The Great Barrow of the Barrow-downs. Though the Wightlord Sambrog is defeated, the Witch-king, Ivar and Skorgrim escape. Upon returning to Bree, you discover Aragorn has left with the Hobbits and the player meets Gandalf, who was too late to help. As he leaves for Rivendell too, he instructs you to find one of his fellow Istari.

Radagast the Brown asks for your help in cleansing Garth Agarwen from the evil wights that inhabit it. Ultimately you and Radagast will fight Ivar the Bloodhand, their leader and servant of the Witch-king. After succeeding, you are urgently sent to the North Downs to aid the Rangers there.

You are asked by Halbarad to aid in the defense of the North Downs against Angmar's forces, by uniting the three main armies of the North Downs: the Men of Trestlebridge, the Dwarves led by Dori and Gildor's Elves. After this, You are sent to Rivendell, where the Fellowship has now safely arrived.

Your search for the Nazgûl brings you to the final stronghold of Skorgrim and the Dourhands. An assault led by Gimli will result in the fall of Skorgrim and the Dourhands. But the Nazgûl has fled to Helegrod, where the ancient Dragon Thorog has been revived in order to serve the Dark Lord. You arrive just in time to stop the Nazgûl, defeating him and making the Dragon harmless, for now. Now that Rivendell is safe, it is time to move on to Angmar itself.

Rangers, led by Corunir and Golodir, have gone to Angmar and their kinsmen want to know what has become of them. Upon entering Angmar, you find Corunir safe in a friendly Hillmen village. He begs you to find his lost company, who passed through Rammas Deluon: a great series of statues that weakens (or even kills) those who pass it. But after destroying the spirits within them, you are able to resist the power of Rammas Deluon, and find a Dwarf settlement, where a part of the scattered party lives.

You are informed Golodir settled at Gath Forthnir, far in the North. When arriving there, Golodir is gone and the Rangers are led by his daughter, Lorniel. Lorniel reveals that Golodir has been captured by Mordirith, Steward of Angmar, and has been locked away in Carn Dûm. As leader of the remaining Rangers, and with the help of Laerdan, Lorniel launches an assault on Carn Dûm, where she is slain by Mordirith, who then releases Golodir, to continue his torture.

Golodir's grief for the death of his daughter has almost destroyed him, yet he sees a chance to avenge her. Reclaiming an ancient sword, he travels with you to the heart of Carn Dûm, defeating Mordirith with the blade. Mordirith drops his palantír, a great seeing stone, which is quickly taken by the mysterious Sara Oakheart.

You learn Sara Oakheart is no less than Amarthiel, the Champion of Angmar. She has set up a plot from Barad Gularan to use you to weaken Mordirith. Now she has the palantír, she can communicate with Sauron and challenge Mordirith's position. You are sent to kill all of Mordirith's Knights, in an attempt to further weaken his power. But despite your victories over Mordirith, Amarthiel only grows stronger. After losing Fornost and Barad Gularan, she moves to Annúminas, the ancient capital of Arnor. The Rangers there, led by Calanglad, need your aid.

A massive battle in Annúminas ensues, the wise Elf Laerdan offers his services to Calenglad. One of Amarthiel's captains is captured, but while in captivity, he angers Laerdan, making the Elf decide to fight Amarthiel on his own, in an attempt to make up for his mistakes in the past. Again the Free People have been tricked by Amarthiel and her servants. Together with the Rangers of Evendim, you are able to wrestle the palantír from Amarthiel's clutches, but Laerdan is lost. But within the palantír, Amarthiel saw a glimpse of where Narchuil, her ancient ring, lies. She is now determined to possess its power once more.

Amarthiel's captain Mordrambor breaks free, killing many rangers. Soon he leads an army out of Annúminas, to find Amarthiel's Ring, Narchuil. You attempt to find Narchuil before Amarthiel can, searching the ancient ruins of Trollshaws. After much searching, it turns out Narmeleth, Laerdan's daughter, who originally caused Amarthiel's fall in Fornost, has become possessed by her. But all searching seems in vain, when it is revealed Amarthiel has already found Narchuil. However, Elrond does not fall for her trickery again, he realises Narchuil is still out there, and Laerdan knows where.

Amarthiel has Laerdan transported to Angmar, where she learns from him under torture where her Ring is. In a brave attempt to save both Laerdan and the ring Narchuil, you are able to get to them before Amarthiel does, despite losing another Ranger. But only half of the ring was found. Laerdan confesses to Elrond he has broken the Narchuil in two, and where the other part should be. But then he swears an oath upon Elbereth that he will not rest before he has saved his daughter, and leaves the Council.

Trying to find out more about the other half of Narchuil, you are sent to Forochel. However Amarthiel's forces have already arrived, and are already searching. In an attempt to find the ring before the Angmarim, the player receives help from Arvedui's Ghost. In the final chapter, it seems Mordrambor has betrayed Amarthiel; the two start to battle and disappear from view. The player then retrieves the second half of Narchuil and returns it to Rivendell.

Still seeking to save Narmeleth, Laerdan travels with the two halves of Narchuil to Eregion. Amarthiel, baiting him in, reclaims Narchuil for herself. Elrond sends many Heralds of Rivendell to all corners of Eriador to help him in his search for the lost Ring-lore. But all efforts are too late, for Narchuil has been reforged when the Free People reach Eregion. It quickly becomes clear none are able to withstand Narchuil, until Mordrambor, Amarthiel's former servant, arrives. They go outside, where Mordirith arrives. Mordirith is in power once again, but Amartiel does not surrender and believes she can defeat him with Narchuil. But Mordirith has the power of the Witch-king and defeats her. Mordrambor claims Narchuil as his own, and when he is about to finish Amarthiel, Laerdan appears. He now knows Mordirith is actually Eärnur, the last King of Gondor. Mordirith orders Mordrambor to kill Laerdan, after which the two leave. Amarthiel is crying over her father, and set captive by the Free People.

With the death of her father, Narmeleth is once again freed from the evil influence of Amarthiel. Narmeleth becomes a captive of the Free Peoples and she sacrifices herself in order to help defeat Mordrambor and aid the Free Peoples. The book ends bittersweet with Narmeleth's redemption and her death.

Added Elements

There are a number of elements that do not appear in any of the published works. This includes characters, lineages, objects and locations. This is not a complete list of all of the added elements found in The Lord of the Rings Online, only the elements that are first mentioned or experienced by the player in the books of Shadows of Angmar. Elements found in other quests and unique to Shadows of Angmar are not listed here.

Lineages

The Dourhands are a clan of dwarves aligned with the forces of Angmar. They were the dwarves that stayed behind to rebuild the Dwarven Halls in the Blue Mountains which were destroyed during the War of Wrath.